Not quite plain sailing. When I lost contact through using a new phone, I was puzzled by my old phone at the same time inviting me to log in with my original user name GREVILLE. Of course, this was refused and hence my disappearing act.

I got back in on my old phone when my current user name (with AJ added) reappeared. The trouble is my new device is continuing to tell me you're out of action if you use the present user name

Just stay with the old phone would be the answer. No. The camera on that phone has failed. I can log in but can't download pics.

Bumped this up again as the latest welcome back is issued. Even if it's stumbling and limping along still grateful for its reappearance.

Doubly welcome for me as I lost contact six weeks ago when I misplaced my old phone that serves as a 'mini-tablet' which is the only access I have to HTUK. Compounded by the fact I did locate it a week later only to lose it again....Doh! My current phone and laptop still do not let me back in whatever way I try. Found the phone last week only for the site to be down again.

Grev it is a dead duck on here I really cannot understand why it has come back again. I think you are flogging a dead horse. I have given up posting on here but as you had tried to kick it off again, felt I had to make a few comments. There is no one in Admin monitoring the forum and Dave Brown ignores my personal messages to him. Most members are fed up with access difficulties and the lack of responses to forum matters. It's a tragesty its come to this, on what was a really active and informative forum.

I am sure I could post a thread on sex, drugs and rock and roll and it would not be moderated.

Appreciate the point you are making, John. Never been one to give up easily on any worth while cause but if this ship eventually never comes up for air my feet are firmly entrenched in two camps so I'm perfectly safe.

I have to agree John. I only check on here now to see how the few old regulars are doing who don't use other social media platforms. A great shame as I loved this forum and put a lot of effort into it with my posts over the years.

We still have ongoing issues with access, and Aidan has got to the point of looking to change hosting company, as their customer service is second to none... almost non-existent. For a couple of years we hosted ourselves, but the size of databases became too difficult to maintain on home based PCs, and then we were offline for about a month, when our Virgin Media broadband went down, and took them that long to get it up again, so we moved back to commercial hosting, which Aidan pays for. When 5 years of data was lost, it was only as the links were deleted, NOT the data, but the Host was crappe. If we had been a commercial company, we'd have sued them.

Aidan started this site back in 2004 whist doing his CGSEs, he continued through A levels, through Uni, but is now an IT Manager running 3 sites in 3 different countries, He regularly has to work on all sites, so is away from his home several times a month. How he gets the time to volunteer to keep this running, I just don't know.

When it comes to me, yes, I had the vision to start an exotic plants website, and moderated it for many years, but the last 3 years have been hell. At one point I ended up with 3 family members in hospital at the same time in 2 separate hospitals, and in 2017 had family in hospital for 37 weeks. Of the 3 in hospital, 2 recovered, and one didn't. The one that didn't, wiped out 2018 completely. 2019 has been recovery. sort of.

Welcome back Dave!.
In the grand scheme of things a plant forum means nothing....despite all our frustrations over the forum it would be fantastic to get back to the level of its heyday, call me old fashioned but it still beats Facebook hands down.
Karl.

So sorry to hear this, Dave. I guessed from a few posts (by others) that you have had ongoing troubles but had no idea of the extent.

I've been pleased and relieved to welcome back HTUK after each disappearance but if your latest postings mean you are now free to contribute once again that's the most welcome news of all. If those who are still with the forum can up the posting I'm sure that will contribute to therapy and recovery all round.

I only check on here now to see how the few old regulars are doing who don't use other social media platforms.

I do use Facebook, but don't use any public groups. I think it's a silly system whereby anything you post is signed by your real name and everybody and their grandma can see.

I use many phpBB-style forums to discuss topics I'm interested in, but there are also a few very niche, closed or secret Facebook groups I participate in, where most of the members are people I have met in person.

My experience with forums vs open FB groups is that, generally, the former are much higher quality, in-depth, inquisitive, which is understandable as the way the information is structured (forum sections, threads...) attracts quality people; people who are sharper, more inquisitive, more technically apt. Facebook, on the other hands, is "internet for the masses", it was designed to be easy to use on a smartphone (which comes with conveniences such as the ease of taking and posting a picture, but also huge limitations) and in fact, many FB users don't even have desktop computers and their only contact with the internet is via their smartphone.